Paris, Provence and Riviera for 15 days, mid June for parents and teenage daughter.

Rent the car in Arles to go to those hard to reach places like Les Baux and for other day trips like Pont du Gard. But I would just take the train from there to Nice.. How about 4 days in Provence and 3 in Nice.

I like Jazz's idea (4/3). Nice is a large city. Villefranche is smaller and a little more intimate - depends what you're after. Of course they are so close you can access one from the other easily. Ponte du Gard - bring swim suits. There's a nice beach area across the river that a lot of people visit while there. My 12yo son could have stayed fro hours cliff-jumping. The villages in the western Luberon (like Roussillon, Gordes, Isle sur la sorgue, fontaine de vaucluse), and the abbey de senaque are all beautiful and worth a visit - you could pick a few for a long day's tour (or do all over two days).

As for shoes, I brought three pair last year: trail running, birkenstock sandals, and flip-flops. I wore the flip-flops 90% of the time, over 5 weeks in cities and villages, walking for miles and miles. Shrug. So, maybe as long as her shoes are comfortable for her to walk in long distances - and she should test that - let her bring them (but pack some doctor scholls pads and/or band-aids in case;). My two extra pair (not on my feet) fit into my carry-on luggage easily and didn't add a lot of weight.

Jessica

I've occasionally noticed tourists of the female variety wearing cute shoes. One reason I noticed them was that they were sitting down or leaning against something, rubbing their feet. I knew exactly how they felt, because on my first trip to Europe I took a pair of cute Italian sandals. They had thin leather soles. That was a very painful learning experience. That sort of thing doesn't work when you're on your feet all day, never on carpet and sometimes dealing with uneven surfaces like cobblestones.

There are shoes with cushy soles that look a lot cuter than what I choose to wear. If you are an active family and might decide to walk around the perimeter of Cap Ferrat or Cap d'Antibes, your daughter will need something fairly supportive, because part of the path isn't paved, and there are rocks of various sizes to negotiate. If you'll just be walking around towns and cities, something like Mary Janes might be adequate if the soles are good.

Kudos for being a parent choosing international travel for your family and lucky daughter. Having taken numerous Western European trips with my daughter the past 10 years, beginning when she was 20, I know something of looking askance at wardrobe choices she opted to shlep around. But that’s the point, her items were her call, to live and die by and tote however comfortably (or not) she would. I’ll say that her young feet took leather flip flops quite literally in stride much to my surprise and grudging admiration as well as the long, thick polyester and darn warm for August in Paris midi tube skirt (ask your fashionista) which had to weigh 3 lbs at least, like the rock star she clearly felt she was when all dolled up n rarin’ to go. My input is to not make specific demands/restrictions/comments on dear daughter’s choices except to identify total number of bags, maximum weight/size of bag your air carrier allows and whether your merry traveling band is of the carry on variety. My girl did bring heels her first trip, they were put to use and never made the cut for subsequent adventurous forays to major European cities. Not that I’d be at all happy nor be secret with my fretting, I wouldn’t deny her choosing a bag filled with footwear and short on undies as long as she was clear that her choices would be her lot to live with for an awful long ways from home. I let her know any regrets she may have needn’t be shared with me whilst on the road or to have expectation Mom would, could or should do a ding dang thing about it. In our case, it worked beautifully. Very happy travels to you and yours in France and beyond.

I spent four nights in Arles and five nights in Juan les Pins. There is more to see in Provence so maybe reverse it. I was happy with Arles and stayed on the Place du Forum, which was nicely located near sights with fairly inexpensive and convenient parking (on the river) and fairly easy to get in and out of town.

I went up and down from Cannes to Menton (on the Italian border) checking out which beaches and towns I liked the best. For me the nicest overall place was Antibes. It's not far from Nice but the sand is the best on the Riviera and the marina, walled medieval town, restaurant cafe area, and major art museum made it stand out as the nicest place I visited. Drop your car when you get to the Riviera and use the train to go up and down the coast. It's cheaper, faster and easier.

As far as a scenic drive into the Riviera from Arles, drive the high corniche above the Riviera to La Turbie, (Trophy of Augustus). After that drive down into Riviera and drop your car. I flew back to Paris on an Air France plane out of the Nice airport (convenient to Antibes).

Let kid bring runners/sneakers for sure.

I personally would say train to Nice .. I too get carsick easy.

Monaco is such an easy daytrip ( well its an easy 1/2 day even.. ) .. so I would go.. its fun to see.

Tell daughter whatever she packs she will carry the entire time no complaints.. and if her bag is too heavy and she has to ditch stuff.. do NOT replace the stuff.. I brutalized my kids with these sorts of rules starting with their first trips to Europe.. starting by age 11. They are now young adults who are not pains in the butt.. just saying. lol

Re: shoes--
Have her wear hiking/trail running shoes as they are heaviest; sandals/flip flops in her personal bag/backpack because they are small; and then she can pack that unpractical third or fourth pair(s) that you seem concerned about. Like the others have already commented, you should let her make her own choices based on the luggage weight limits and a general idea of your activity level on the trip.

I would split up your remaining days 5 and 4. The reason -- if you are so inclined, a beach day will consume at least a half a day, or perhaps multiple, and 1/2 day might get devoted to a teen shopping excursion (although note there is an outlet center between Aix and Arles) and the last day is lost to travel home, giving you only 1.5 days to hit the rest.

There are some really nice stretches of driving between Nice and Arles, but they require either a division to the coast (slow going) or into the mountains (gorges du verdon) and down into Grasse, Tourrettes sur Loup, St. Paul de Vence, which makes for a long day or overnight stay. Public transit is an easy thing along the Cote d'Azur, especially if you are based in Nice, as many routes originate from there and the trains stop a bit more frequently. Driving is possible but parking is expensive and travel within the Nice and Monaco is best handled by public means.

Antibes and especially Juan Les Pins (plus near St. Tropez) have the better beaches. However, I always feel like Antibes is trapped between the charm of a small town and the activities of a small city. Things are spread apart more than what you might imagine. After five days in/around Arles, I would choose Nice or something smaller like Villefrance (or other small villages, if you want something less touristy)

Let's start with the shoes! I wouldn't limit your daughter to 2 pairs (I've never traveled with 2 and wouldn't!) Mainly because I don't like to wear the same pair 2 days in a row to avoid getting blisters. I agree with some other posters here--limit her BAGGAGE, but let her choose what to put in it. I also love fashion, but you can be fashionable and still comfortable. I tend to wear flats (but be sure to put inserts in them or they will start to hurt from the hard surfaces) or sandals with thicker soles for sight-seeing. Although it's very popular for French teens to wear nicer tennis shoes or keds (which my US teen also wears). I can also happily walk around all day in a pair of wedges or espadrilles (very popular in the south of France). If she wants to bring a pair of heels--let her, but tell her they're only for the nighttime or going out to dinner. She'll probably find she never wears them and will learn not to bother next time. Another idea is for her to use Pinterest or Google to look up packing tips for France--there are all sorts of fashionable bloggers who make lists and target cute but comfortable shoes. An anonymous blogger may do more to convince your teen than her parents :)

As for your itinerary--keep in mind that you'll have a wonderful time, no matter what you choose! Focus on what you can see and ignore what you won't have time for. Like others said, make time for the Luberon villages while in Provence, though the drive will be difficult for your wife. You won't need a car in Nice, and while I love driving along the riviera, your wife may not enjoy it. I say opt for the train--you'll still have a scenic drive, but hopefully without the motion sickness (and a welcome reprieve after driving in Provence)! There are pros/cons to staying in Nice or Villefranche. VF will be quieter and less touristy. BUT, Nice is right in the center of it all. It depends on what you think you might be doing--I've been to the area many times and still choose in or out of town depending on what I think I might be doing that trip. Ie, if I plan to be out and about at night, Nice. If not, VF. If you've got time, visit Eze from Nice--most people take the public transport there, but if you're in moderately good shape, the Nietzsche hiking trail up is gorgeous. I'd budget 3-4 days in Provence, and 4-5 in Nice. Mainly because you will likely want to take advantage of relaxing on the beaches in/around Nice, and there are many day trips you can do (Monaco, Eze, Menton). I think your daughter will likely find Nice more exciting/fun than Provence.

Thanks for all the good suggestions. I think we’ll only keep the car in Provence since any possibility of motion sickness will impact my wife’s enjoyment of the trip more than it’s worth.
I appreciate the thoughts about my daughter’s shoes and will loosen up my restrictions (and try to convince her to bring inserts).
We will probably stay in Nice and spend the extra day there rather than Provence to allow a little more relaxing pace at the end of trip.
Thank you all again. Your willingness to share your thoughts and experiences make this forum a great resource.